South Korean President Apologizes Amidst Wife’s Controversies

South Korea’s president has issued an apology regarding a series of controversies involving his wife, which include allegations of her accepting a luxury Dior handbag and engaging in stock manipulation. In a televised address to the nation, Yoon Suk Yeol stated that his wife, Kim Keon Hee, should have conducted herself more appropriately. However, he also claimed that her depiction had been excessively “demonised” and that some of the accusations against her were “exaggerated”. The president announced his intention to establish an office to oversee the first lady’s official duties, but he rejected calls for an investigation into her activities. Yoon’s apology comes as he endeavors to reverse a decline in his public approval ratings among the South Korean populace, a dip linked to the controversies surrounding his wife. Late in 2023, the left-wing YouTube channel Voice of Seoul released a video purportedly showing Ms. Kim receiving a 3m won ($2,200; £1,800) Dior bag from a pastor. The pastor reportedly filmed this exchange in September 2022 using a camera concealed in his watch. In February, Yoon had stated that the footage was leaked as a “political manoeuvre” and did not offer an apology at that time. South Korea’s Democratic Party, which is the opposition to Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, at the time characterized the president’s “shameless attitude” as “hopeless”. The scandal also created divisions within Yoon’s party, with one leader drawing a comparison between Ms. Kim and Marie Antoinette, the queen of France renowned for her extravagant lifestyle. The opposition party has also long accused the first lady of involvement in stock price manipulation. Earlier in the year, Yoon vetoed a bill that called for his wife to be investigated over those allegations.